Noted sociologist, CWR contributor, joins faculty at FUS

Just in from the PR department at Franciscan University of Steubenville:

Catholic Sociologist Dr. Anne Hendershott Joins Franciscan University Faculty

STEUBENVILLE, OH—Dr. Anne Hendershott, one of the most distinguished Catholic sociologists in the United States today, has accepted a faculty position at Franciscan University of Steubenville beginning with the fall 2013 semester.

Hendershott will be a professor in the Psychology, Sociology, and Social Work Department.

Formerly a tenured professor and Sociology Department chair at the University of San Diego, Hendershott comes to Franciscan University from King’s College in New York City, where she is the Distinguished Visiting Professor of Public Policy.

“Dr. Anne Hendershott is one of the most articulate and persuasive voices upholding Catholic teachings in the contemporary culture wars,” said Dr. Daniel Kempton, vice president for Academic Affairs at Franciscan University. “While her books on Catholic higher education, the politics of abortion, and the politics of deviance are widely read among scholars, she also writes regularly for a broader audience in numerous magazines and newspaper editorials.”

Hendershott serves as the Pope John Paul II Fellow in Student Development at the Cardinal Newman Society’s Center for the Advancement of Catholic Higher Education. She is a member of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars and a member of the board of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists.

A driving concern during Hendershott’s 20 years in higher education has been to find ways to enhance student-learning outcomes that contribute to the religious mission of the institution. At the University of San Diego, she created a Catholic Studies Program and a Students for Life Club. She was also involved in several student-focused initiatives at King’s College.

“I am pleased to be joining Franciscan University, which couples its academic excellence with a commitment to its Catholic intellectual tradition,” said Hendershott.

Dr. Regina Boerio, chair of the Department of Psychology, Sociology, and Social Work, said that in the hiring process, Franciscan University searched for someone who could further the mission of the department and the Sociology Program. “We believe we have found that person in Dr. Hendershott, who comes to us with virtue, a zeal for teaching, and a high degree of scholarship,” Boerio said.

Hendershott is the author of numerous scholarly publications, the most recent being “The Hook-Up Culture on Catholic Campuses: A Review of the Literature,” published by the Cardinal Newman Society in 2011. She has presented written book chapters and papers on a wide range of sociological topics, including “Juvenile Delinquency and Urban Gangs,” “Prison Ministry and the Battle for Captive Souls,” and “Religiosity and Marital Satisfaction: A Multivariate Exploration.”

Her forthcoming book with Christopher White is Beyond the Catholic Culture Wars (Encounter Books). Hendershott’s other books include Status Envy: The Politics of Catholic Higher Education (2009), and The Politics of Abortion (2006).

For her 2002 book, The Politics of Deviance, Hendershott said she drew inspiration from Pope John Paul II’s encyclical, Veritatis Splendor, “which explores the same kinds of important questions that an excellent undergraduate education like that at Franciscan University explores—asking the question, ‘What is Truth.’”

She often writes about Catholic issues for The Wall Street Journal, Catholic World Report, and other religious and secular outlets.

In 2005, Hendershott received a one-year fellowship at Princeton University’s James Madison Program in Institution and Ideals. From 1996-1999, she oversaw the Community Outreach Partnership Project, a $450,000 grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. From 1991-1996, she received a $125,000 award from the Hartford Hispanic Health Council for Evaluation of Cuidate Mujer: A Project to Reduce Substance Abuse by Hispanic Pregnant and Postpartum Women in Hartford, Connecticut.

Hendershott received her PhD in sociology from Kent State University in 1988 and her MS in counseling psychology from Central Connecticut State University in 1979.

Hendershott’s most recent article for CWR was “The Orwellian World of Catholic Higher Education” (Feb. 19, 2013), along with a short review of Garry Wills’ book on the priesthood (Feb. 22, 2013). Search for more of her articles on the CWR site.